Banded package and method of forming the same



Nov. 10, 1953 E, w. VAN PATTEN BANDED PACKAGE AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME Filed Jan. 22, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 10, 1953 E. w. VAN PATTEN 2,658,614

BANDED PACKAGE AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME Filed Jan. 22, 1947 Y 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 f Err-L551: Van PEP: ET'L Nov. 10, I953 E. w. VAN PATTEN 2,658,614

BANDED PACKAGE AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME Filed Jan. 22, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 11m 51 wx/EmPaum J/JM MAM/MK 4% Patented Nov. 10, 1953 PATENT OFFICE BANDED PACKAGE AND METHOD F- FORMING THE- SAME;

Ernest Van-Patten; McLean; Va: ApplicationVJanuary22,.1947;serialgNon723,472;

(Granted z-underl-Title 35, U. .8. Code (1952).,

sec. 1.:

The,inventiomdescribed I'hereincmay, 'beimanw. factured and used by or for the Governmentsforr governmental, purposes withiout the ;payment;;;of any royalty; thereon;

invention relates. tota-amethodi'of COmbiII-T in units. into;.a; wei hty sp cka erwhich: may: be lifted ;;and transported .fromplace -,to:p1ace without the necessity of the-load- :being; secured M11011 a pallet;

While my; invention as disclosed in theipresent embodiments. is ZShQWIL'iI'l ;usecvvith banded pack: ages-of boxed ammunition andotherrexplosives, it is to be understoodthatcmy method may be adapted to, transport in, bulk any banded mass of material .madewup of detached but regular ali quot I parts In-the prior art the ;1oadAwassecuredto a palletwhen the individualdunitsrwere bound to: gether inorder thatthe-iorks-of the lifting device might be inserted beneaths the. packaged load. This was not only,-expensiveibecause of the-material andlabor needed-to makethe pallets; but extremely wasteful of essential materials as, well, sincewonly a relatively-small proportion of the palletsso used-were salvageable for reuse.

A principal object of'myinvention is togprovide amethod of combining separateun-its into a; package by means of steel-or wire-strapping whereby the unit'can' be mechanically; lifted and handled withoutibeing secured to a-lpallet.

An important-cobiect'of .my invention'is to rpro -i vide amethod for forming weighty bandedpackages in which open spaces-are-providedin theas-v sembled, andtied masswherein the forks of the lifting device may be inserted to lift the completedpackage by the clamping strain applied laterally. to the layersofc the mass: above said openings,

A furthe1' objectof myiinvention isto provide a method for forming weighty packages which will permit the mechanical stacking of a number: ofhsim-ilarly packaged units one; above the other. by. av fork liftctruckwhose liftingforks are engaged. in open spaces providedin the respective packaged units.

Another object 0t my. invention islto provide amethod of combining weighty units into an as? sembled package banded by steel or wirestrapping-whereby said package may bemechanically handled-by insertingthe forks of.-a lifting, device into open passagewaysprovidedtherein without the necessity of securing theloadjona pallet; said package being-cheaperto: manufacture; economical 1 in the use; of: material :and L eificient' in 1 use 2;; Other objects and advantages of ;myinvention will become-apparent during thefollowing specifie cation,. and-L accompanying. drawings. forming:

parttofs' the specification; wherein likenumerals I are; used, .to designate like, parts. throughout .;the

specification and drawings;

Ingthe drawings;

Figure 1;is a front elevation ;ofw one-embodienent of my invention, showingtheilitting forks engaged in openings provided/in: theipackagec Figure 2' is a sectional view ofathe same. taken onqthe line 2.'2:of Figure 1,

Figure3:is a top. orr'bottomviewiof-zthe same,

Figure 4 isa. perspectiveiviewrof: atemplate adapted foruse; in forming the; embodimentof Figure 5,v

Figure 5 is an. embodiment: of; the; invention formed ;without dunna e, showing. ,theiorksofza lift truckiabontrto -be insertedinto the: openings, and;

Figure 6,il 1ustr.ates theymanner-of stackin a pluralityof packaged, units, one;above-;the other;

Referring-1110mm; detail tohthe drawings, par: ticularly to;the embodimentbfjfgignres ,1; 2;:and 3,. the numeral, I H; designatesi'generally, a :bantled package, in the general form of a rectangular pa allel pi ed; formed iromzpluraiityzof .boxes. 11 of substantially the,samesizefland:ofztheshapeaor forma r ngulanp rallelepipeds ied together by a plurality of spaced-apart steel straps or. wires I2; l3 and-lll,=;the -straps,- I Z.-:and- I3J,b eing placed normal to each other and laying in ,verti: cal planes normal ;to each other-,;,while straps I4 surroundsaid package in: coordinate horizontal planes." Dunnage ot. suitablecrespective lengths in the-form of; loose boards I51, and I'd-,are posis tionednorma1to each other; at the, respective t0p ;and bottom of said;package-beneathsaid straps. I tend; I 3. Aglayer; of separating jslatsll I is positioned between contiguouslayersgofgsaid boxes! I; and a spacer block: I8As .-u,sed.;tosepa-v rate adjacent ends of'theiboxes ll in-ythe-bottom layer of-said package.

Thea distinguishing;- feature of my; method of forming the package; tithes; inm-y'arrangement of the boxes II-to provide a-pairof spaced-apart openings 5 9 1 extending throughgsaid package; I U from=the front to-the back thereof; adaptedeto engage therein theforks 29-; (shown in broken lines-in Figures 1 and 2) of avlifting mechanism; to; exert: lifting pressure against the: boxes II formingthe-layers of 'saidpackage above the tops of the openings I 9; The: openings I 9 -are prefer;- ablyr positioned below the centerof gravity-bf saidipackage I 0, and thedepth of sa-id package should be such that the projecting ends 2| of said fork 20 will engage said package outwardly of said center of gravity.

In forming the package Ii! I place a predetermined number of straps l2 and I3 of suitable lengths on a floor or other suitable surface, said straps l2 and 13 being placed normal to each other and spaced apart in their respective groups, the straps l3 being positioned to define substantially the front and rear limits of the package In. A plurality of loose boards l5, corresponding in number to the straps I2, are laid thereon in axial alignment therewith, said boards being of such length relative to the depth of the package in that they will not cover the straps I3. A plurality of similar loose boards iii are laid on the said boards l5, axially normal thereto, the respective outer edges of the end boards 16 being positioned to define the front and rear faces, respectively, of said package.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 I have used thirty-six boxes to form my package, but it should be understood that this number is exemplary only, and not a limitation. I form the lower layer of said package by standing the respective end and center boxes with their longitudinal axes vertical, laying the intermediate boxes on said board is with their respective longitudinal axes at right angles to said vertical longitudinal axes, thus forming the bottom and side walls of the openings !9. I place the spacer blocks 18 between the adjacent ends of the boxes l2 of the lower layer, as shown in Figure 2, to prevent movement of said boxes toward each other, and I place the separating slats l! on the top of the vertical boxes of the bottom layer, said slats forming a bridge above the openings !9 and providing a supporting base for the boxes 12 of the top row which are arranged thereon with their longitudinal axes vertical. The boards l5 and I6 used on top of the package are of equal length, and in like positions relative to each other and to the straps l2 and I3, as are the similar members i5 and i6 positioned at the bottom of said package. The straps l2 and I3 may now be tightened and secured in any suitable manner, and the straps l4 may be placed to surround said package ll about the respective perimeters of the top and bottom layers.

In the embodiment of Figures 5 and 6, I form the package 22 without the use of any dunnage or separating slats. I also omit the horizontal straps surrounding said package. The distinguishing feature, the openings 23, are formed in the package, however, for the purpose and in the manner already explained. The package 22 is more compact, and more adaptable for piling one upon the other for storage, as is illustrated in Figure 6, where a lift fork truck 24 is shown placing the top package 22 upon a stack of similar packages. Blocking 25, as shown on the forks 26, may be used to provide means for gaining extra height for placing a top package when the truck boom is a trifle short.

In laying out the package 22, the spaced strap members 2'! and 28 of suitable lengths to surround said package in vertical planes normal to each other and which pass through said package, are placed on the floor or suitable surface and boxes 29 to form the lower layer of said package are placed thereon in juxtaposition, to form the perimetric contour of the package. In forming the layer next above, the said boxes 29 are arranged to provide the openings 23 extending therethrough from front face to rear face. In arranging the other layers above said openings, the remaining boxes may be suitably bonded in the mass, and joints between boxes should be broken intermediate the sides of the openings 23. As hereinbefore described, the straps 21 and 28 are tightened and secured in any suitable manner.

To facilitate speedy production of the packages 22, I have designed the template 3% shown in Figure 4. It is provided with side rails 3| in which a plurality of spaced notches 32 are formed to receive the said straps 21 and 28. The side rails 3| are spaced apart in each direction to form a cavity therein which corresponds in contour to the perimeter of the package 22. A floor built of boards 33, rabbeted into said side rails 3|, is provided in said cavity, its surface bein substantially level with the bottom of the notches 32. The template to is mounted on a plurality of stringers 34 secured to said floor by nailing or otherwise.

In using the template 39, the straps 2'! and 28 are laid in the appropriate notches 32, and the package 22 is built upon the floor within the side rails 3| in the manner already described.

I have herein disclosed my method of forming weighty packages for transporting from place to place without use of a pallet in two illustrated embodiments, in which the distinctive feature of my invention, forming the package with openings therein to receive and engage the lifting forks of the lifting device, is employed. It will, nevertheless, be understood that these embodiments are purely exemplary, and that other arrangements of the component units of the package, in association with transverse openings as hereinbefore described and explained, may be made without departing from the spirit of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A unitary package comprisin a first plurality of units positioned in side-by-side relation and forming a first horizontal layer generally rectangular in plan, a second plurality of similar units forming a second horizontal layer resting on and supported by said first layer, said second layer being of the same external dimensions in plan as said first layer but having the units thereof arranged to form at least two horizontal, parallel and horizontally-spaced passageways opening through at least one side of said layer, a third layer of units similar to said first layer and resting on and supported by said second layer, all said layers collectively forming a rectangular parallelepiped, and tensioned band means extending externally about all said units and binding said units into a unitary package, said passageways being available for the insertion of the tines of a lifting device to lift said package as a uni 2. A unitary package comprising a first plurality of units positioned in side-by-side relation and forming a first horizontal layer generally rectangular in plan, a second plurality of similar units forming a second horizontal layer resting on and supported by said first layer, said second layer being of the same external dimensions in plan as said first layer, some of the units of said second layer being omitted to thereby define at least two horizontal, parallel and horizontally-spaced passageways opening through at least one side of said layer, a third layer of units similar to said first layer and resting on and supported by said second layer, all said layers collectively formin a rectangular parallelepiped, and tensioned band means extending about said parallelepiped and binding all of said units into a unitary package, said spaces being available for the insertion of the tines of a lifting device to lift and transport said package as a unit.

3. The method of forming a weighty banded package comprising the steps of laying a first group of steel or wire bands on a floor in spaced relation, laying a second group of similarls spaced bands across the said first group at right angles thereto, laying an equal number of loose boards on said first group in axial relation therewith to form the outline of said package, laying a plurality of similar loose boards on said first mentioned boards normal thereto, forming a first layer of the units of said package on said second mentioned boards, forming a second layer of said units thereabove, said second layer being arranged to provide spaced passageways between individual units of said layer transverse said first layer and parallel to said first group of steel bands, forming additional layers of said units above said openings, placing separating slats between individual layers of said units above said second layer, covering the top layer of said units with a plurality of loose boards normal to said openings, placing loose boards equal to the number and parallel with the boards first mentioned transverse of the last mentioned boards, tightening and securing said first and second groups of steel or wire bands, and surrounding said package about its perimeter with a plurality of similar steel or wire bands.

4. The method of forming a banded package of boxes or similar symmetrical units, comprising the steps of placing a first group of tie bands on a substantially fiat surface, placing a second group of tie :bands across said first group substantially normal thereto, arranging a plurality of said boxes in juxtaposition on said first and second groups of tie bands to form a first layer of said package and define the contour thereof, arranging a second layer of said boxes on said first layer, said boxes in said second layer being arranged to provide spaced passages through said second layer between said boxes, building up said package in successive superimposed layers of similar area and contour to the height desired, the boxes of said successive layers being arranged to bridge over said passageways, tightening said first and second groups of tie bands above said packages, and securing said bands.

ERNEST W. VAN PATTEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 197,597 Brown Nov, 27, 1877 2,301,603 Woodruff Nov. 10, 1942 2,328,397 Neuman Aug. 31, 1943 2,331,585 Walker Oct 12, 1943 2,394,692 Isler Feb. 12, 1946 2,395,982 White Mar, 5, 1946 2,400,197 Grodin May 14, 1946 2,404,205 Ammon July 16, 1946 

